Pekan: Focus on development, field fresh faces at the Sea Games
Pekan praised MAS and the National Sports Council (NSC) for introducing a blueprint (2024-2028) to revive Malaysia diving, which results-wise has been in decline in recent years.
He, however, stressed that they must fully focus on developing the next generation of divers and avoid falling back on senior divers to produce short-term results for them.
"The Thailand Sea Games will give us a good indication of how far we have progressed over the last two years in terms of development," said Pekan recently.
"It is not just about results, it will be a good opportunity to show everyone the new faces we have and give these young divers a chance to gain valuable experience.
"There may be people who feel that our senior divers can still contribute, however, if you allow them to compete at the Sea Games, you will be taking away a slot from the younger ones whom we are hoping to excel in bigger competitions over the next few years.
"Though experience is important, it is not everything in diving.
"In diving, athletes tend to peak at a younger age, typically from their mid to late teens when they are less injury-prone and have greater flexibility.
"We should not be depending on seniors such as Pandelela Rinong to be winning medals for us anymore. She has already given us so much over the years and has nothing left to prove. We must thank her for her contributions."
Pandelela, a two-time Olympic medallist, was forced to withdraw from women's 10m platform synchronised (with Lee Yiat Qing) due to a shoulder injury at the Singapore World Championships last week and subsequently sat out the 10m platform individual.
Elvis Clement-Enrique Harold achieved a best-ever seventh-place finish for Malaysia in the men's 10m platform synchronised final but it was otherwise a quiet outing for the national diving squad in Singapore.
MAS and NSC had come up with the 2024-2028 blueprint early last year in a bid to revive Malaysian diving.
Under the blueprint, a fast track programme to develop young divers was set up while previously dormant states have also been given the support to revive their programmes.
Coaching education has also been boosted to produce more qualified coaches in the country.
A total of four gold medals will be on offer in diving at the Thailand Sea Games in the men's 3 metre springboard individual and synchronised, men's 1m springboard individual as well as the women's platform synchronised.
MAS had sent senior divers to the 2019 Manila Sea Games, where Malaysia swept all four gold, and the Hanoi Sea Games, where they swept all eight gold.
Second-tier and junior divers were sent to represent the country at the 2023 Phnom Penh games where Malaysia won all four gold on offer.
The Thailand Sea Games will be the first edition of the Sea Games since the new MAS committee took office in the second half of 2023.
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